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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 116 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: bear · squash · pitcher · march · pop · cap · perch · spell

  1. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  2. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  6. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  7. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  8. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  9. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  13. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  14. How do you ________________ your surname?
  15. We're almost out of ________________.
  16. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  17. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  18. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  19. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  20. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  21. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  22. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  23. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  24. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. squash — the vegetable
  2. pop — to visit
  3. perch — the fish
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. squash — to crush
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. cap — a lid
  8. bear — the animal
  9. march — the month
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. pop — music
  13. spell — magic
  14. spell — letters
  15. pop — soda
  16. march — the month
  17. bear — the animal
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. cap — a hat
  20. squash — the sport
  21. cap — of ice
  22. bear — to put up with
  23. spell — a short time
  24. march — music

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com